Database Needs for Modeling and Simulation of Plasma Processing

In spite of its high cost and technical importance, plasma equipment is still largely designed empirically, with little help from computer simulation. Plasma process control is rudimentary. Optimization of plasma reactor operation, including adjustments to deal with increasingly stringent controls on plant emissions, is performed predominantly by trial and error. There is now a strong and growing economic incentive to improve on the traditional methods of plasma reactor and process design, optimization, and control. An obvious strategy for both chip manufacturers and plasma equipment suppliers is to employ large-scale modeling and simulation. The major roadblock to further development of this promising strategy is the lack of a database for the many physical and chemical processes that occur in the plasma. The data that are currently available are often scattered throughout the scientific literature, and assessments of their reliability are usually unavailable. Database Needs for Modeling and Simulation of Plasma Processing identifies strategies to add data to the existing database, to improve access to the database, and to assess the reliability of the available data. In addition to identifying the most important needs, this report assesses the experimental and theoretical/computational techniques that can be used, or must be developed, in order to begin to satisfy these needs. Table of ContentsFront MatterFINDINGSCONCLUSIONSRECOMMENDATIONSREFERENCESPLASMA PROCESSING FOR SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURINGPLASMA EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER PERSPECTIVESCHIP MANUFACTURER PERSPECTIVESRECOMMENDED PRIORITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF AN IMPROVED DATABASEREFERENCESTOOL SCALE MODELSBarriers to Using Tool Scale ModelsFEATURE SCALE MODELSGENERAL ASSESSMENT OF MODELING STATE OF THE ART AND VISION OF FUTURE CAPABILITY AND IMPLIED NEEDSREFERENCESTECHNIQUES FOR MEASUREMENTS OF GAS PHASE SPECIESInformation ResourcesRoles of the Database In Motivating Diagnostic ExperimentsSURFACE REACTION DATABASE AND DIAGNOSTICSNew Diagnostic TechniquesFINDINGSREFERENCESSTATE OF THE DATABASEIncident Flux and Desorbing Flux AnalysisCondition of the SurfaceParticle BeamsSubstrate Temperature DependenceFINDINGSREFERENCESMoleculesNeutral DissociationMOMENTUM TRANSFER, SWARM, AND DISCHARGE MEASUREMENTSGENERAL COMMENTSREFERENCESINTRODUCTIONIon-Molecule and Charge Exchange ReactionsIon-Ion NeutralizationNeutral ChemistryStatus of the DatabaseExcited State Chemistry and Penning IonizationSummaryTHERMOCHEMICAL DATAREFERENCESAppendix A: Acronyms and AbbreviationsAppendix B: Workshop AgendaAppendix C: Workshop Participants